1. Field of the Invention
The invention relates to the field of protective mats, and in particular holders for replaceable mats that may be used in vehicles.
2. Description of the Prior Art
Protective mats for use in vehicles are well known in the art. These mats are typically designed with features that help protect the floor of the vehicle against contaminants, such as liquids, mud, grease, stones, and similar forms of debris. As such, these known car mats are often made from textile or rubber-based material, or a combination thereof. These car mats may come in different color variations or thicknesses. They may also contain certain features for improving its wear resistance. In some instances these known car mats are specifically designed to fit the interior compartment of a particular vehicle. In other instances, known car mats are generally designed to fit the interior compartment of a multitude of different vehicle platforms. Because these mats may be used for the driver-side compartment of a vehicle, they may also require certain safety features for their use. However, one major disadvantage of these known mats is that they are generally understood to have a relatively permanent duration, and their replacement can come at considerable expense to the automobile owner.
Accordingly, there are also floor mats known in the art that are meant to be disposable, in that, they are replaced and discarded with each use. These replaceable mats are often made of a paper-based material which may be absorbent or impervious to moisture, or may contain a combination of layers thereof. Often these replaceable mats are used by automobile mechanics and service garages to protect the vehicle floor, or permanent floor mat itself, from being contaminated by the e.g., service mechanic. These replaceable mats may also be used by new and used automobile dealerships to protect the vehicle floor from being contaminated by customers who test-drive the vehicles. However, one major disadvantage of these known replaceable mats is that they are often inadequately secured, allowing them to crumple and fold under the feet of the vehicle occupant, thereby limiting their usefulness in protecting the vehicle floor. A further disadvantage of these known replaceable car mats is that they generally do not contain features that help to contain contaminants to the mat, nor do these mats typically contain features that prevent the mat from slipping against the vehicle floor, which limits their safety. Yet a further disadvantage of these known replaceable mats is that they are generally configured in a certain size and shape, such as a rectangle, and are not specifically or generally fit to the interior compartment of a vehicle.
There are several prior art patent publications that attempt to overcome the shortcomings of known car mats by using covers to protect the permanent-type car mat itself. For example, U.S. Pat. No. 5,914,169 (Brunetto, 1999) discloses a protective cover comprising a removable uncut pile fabric that protectively encloses the top-side of the mat, where an elastic strip secures the cover to the underside of the floor mat. At least one clear disadvantage of this type of cover is that it is made of a textile fabric, which limits its usefulness in service garages because it is not freely replaceable due to cost.
Another group of patents discloses protective covers that encase the permanent car mat. For example, U.S. Pat. No. 6,027,781 (Landry et al., 2000) discloses a protective cover comprising a shallow tray secured in a hermetic seal and shaped to completely cover the car mat. In yet another example, U.S. Pat. No. 6,224,962 (Young, III, 2001) discloses a floor mat cover including a top and bottom panel coupled along their outer perimeters to define a pocket for receiving the floor mat. At least one clear disadvantage of the forgoing types of covers is that they are inefficient to use because they require the user to spend considerable time placing the permanent-type mat into the tray or pocket. Moreover, these types of holders do not take advantage of the ability to dispose of the mat, which makes their use impractical for automobile dealerships or automotive service mechanics.
Other patents attempt to solve the shortcomings of the prior art by improving the manner in which disposable car mats are employed. For example, U.S. Pat. No. 4,876,135 (McIntosh, 1989) discloses a floor mat with jacket member that has a throat opening in the edge for receiving a sheet of absorbent material, which can be discarded after it has been soiled. At least one major disadvantage of this approach is that the replaceable mat must be loaded into the edgewise throat of the car mat holder, which is cumbersome and time consuming, and thereby limits its practical use for service garages. Moreover, the protective feature of this invention is limited to the absorbency and water resistant properties of the insert mat itself, since the mat holder does not provide any containment features to capture any excess contaminants.
Replaceable mats and their holders are also known for use in dwellings, office buildings, laboratories, and the like. For example, U.S. Pat. No. 4,564,546 (Jones, 1986) discloses a disposable floor mat holder with hingedly connected side flaps that clamp the disposable mat to the base of the holder. The user must clamp the mat to the base by forcing a lip on the flap under a lip in the base in a tongue-and-groove fashion. Correspondingly, the user must force the flap open from the underside of the flap through a hand hole in the base. In another example, U.S. Pat. No. 5,018,235 (Stamatiou et al., 1991) discloses a holder for a disposable floor mat that comprises a base with integral walls that are so arranged to form a tightly-dimensioned recess that provides a close fit with the disposable mat. In one embodiment of that invention, the disposable mat is held by a lip that is integral with the wall of the holder and which extends above the recess. In order to install the disposable mat into the holder, the user must align the edges of the mat with the holder and then bend the holder toward the base so that the mat can be inserted into the closely dimensioned recess.
These dwelling-type disposable floor-mat holders may contain certain safety features that are useful in buildings, but that are disadvantageous for use in vehicles. For example, dwelling floor-mat holders are typically designed for heavy foot traffic, so the disposable mat must be steadfastly secured to the holder, which makes replacing the mat time-consuming, cumbersome, and thereby impractical for use in certain applications such as service repair garages. Furthermore, the foregoing mats are typically designed with integral and/or closely dimensioned components, which require complex tooling, and are therefore expensive to manufacture. In addition, dwelling floor-mat holders are typically heavier and more rigid, and their inflexibility would thereby limit their ability to easily install them into the compact interior compartment of a vehicle. Moreover, the holders of the above-mentioned references disclose tapers extending outwardly to reduce the risk of tripping, which is a hazard not necessarily envisioned when used in a vehicle, and which may be a disadvantage for containing contaminants to the holder. Another disadvantage of these mats is that the anti-skid structures on the underside of the base may be different for use on the hard floors of a building, compared to the textile-floors in an automobile. Yet another disadvantage of the foregoing type of mat is that they do not offer adequate protection for the interior compartment of a vehicle because they are neither generally, nor specifically, shaped for a vehicle, and therefore do not adequately protect the area. In addition, they do not often offer the same protection features as a car floor mat, such as contaminant containment channels or anti-slip texturing, nor are they designed for the natural resting place of the feet of a driver.
Based on these shortcomings of the prior art, it is clear that there is a long-felt, yet unsatisfied need for a holder of a replaceable mat that provides an easy and efficient means for replacing the mat while adequately securing the mat in place. There is still further a need for a holder of a replaceable mat that comprises features for adequately protecting the floor of a vehicle. In addition, there is a need for a holder of a replaceable mat that comprises features for safe and comfortable use in a vehicle. There is yet a further need for a holder of a replaceable mat that is flexible, such that it can be easily installed in a vehicle, and is yet durable enough for continuous use. Another unsatisfied need is a holder for a replaceable mat that is inexpensive and economical to manufacture.